


Zero to Hero

by violethoneyb



Category: Hercules (1997), Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: Alex is Hercules, Alternate Universe - Hercules (1997) Fusion, Angst, Caleb Covington Being an Asshole, Caleb is hades, Dante and Fuego are Panic and Pain, Evil Caleb Covington, Fluff, Luke is Phil, M/M, Mutual Pining, Reggie is Pegasus, The Hercules au that nobody asked for, because i think its funny, because of home is where my horse is, forget everything you've ever known about greek mythology because I'm changing it all, it just makes sense, willie is meg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:35:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29627118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violethoneyb/pseuds/violethoneyb
Summary: Alexander, son of Zeus, was stolen from his crib on Mount Olympus as a baby and is now forced to live on Earth as a mortal. But, when he discovers the truth about his path, Alex embarks on a journey to fight for his spot in the place where he truly belongs by learning how to use his strength to defeat the evil in the world. But what happens when a pretty boy with soft brown eyes and a kind smile catches Alex's eye. And what happens when that boy may not be who he says he is.
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

Long ago, in the faraway land of ancient Greece, there was a golden age of powerful gods and extraordinary heroes. And the greatest and strongest of all these heroes was the mighty Alexander. But what is the measure of a true hero?  _ That _ is the question of our story. 

However, our story begins long before Alexander, many eons ago, when the world was new and chaos reigned upon all. For everywhere gigantic brukes by the name of Titans ran amok, spreading fear through everything and everyone. They destroyed all in their path. Creatures of fire, earth, ice, and wind that thrived on destruction. And it remained this way until Zeus, son of Kronos, defeated them all with a hurl of his thunderbolt, locking them up in the darkest part of Tartarus, where all the evil was trapped and no god ever dared going near. Zeus tamed the world while still in his youth and from then on, Mount Olympus life was neat and smooth as sweet vermouth.

Years later, Zeus and his wife, Hera, had a son who they named Alexander. The birth of the child called for the largest celebration that could’ve been thrown and all of Olympus had come to the palace to congratulate the couple and shower the baby with gifts.

Alexander himself was being held in his mother’s arms, happily giggling and fascinated by her tiara. He reached up and grabbed it from her head as Hera chucked lightly. “Behave yourself darling.” She whispered quietly, before summoning his crib and gently setting Alexander in it. 

He had shining golden hair and piercing blue eyes, a golden aura shimmering around him. His bright smile and laughter lit up the room.

“Look at him,” His father looked into his crib in awe. “Look how cute he is! He’s got your beautiful eyes dear.” Zeus wiggled a finger under his chin and the baby continued to laugh even more. He reached for the finger that Zeus was using to play with him and with one simple pull, Alexander lifted Zeus off of the ground and above his head, causing him to cry out in delight. “He’s strong, just like his dad too!”

Once he was back on the ground, Zeus turned to the crowd to make an announcement. “On behalf of my son, Hera and I would like to thank you all for coming. As well as for all of your wonderful gifts!”

“What about our gift dear?” Hera asked softly.

Zeus reached out and took hold of some clouds, fitting them together and giving them form. He murmured to himself as he did so, and within moments, the clouds had taken the shape of a small horse with wings; the crowd watched with anticipation. With a puff of wind, Zeus blew the clouds away… to reveal a small white horse with feathery wings. Zeus proudly pushed the flying horse towards his son.

“This is a Pegasus. His name is Reggie, and he’s all yours, son,” Zeus said. The two babies examined each other for a moment, before Alexander reached out to pat the horse’s nose. Reggie simply whinnied, immediately cuddling up beside Alexander. Alexander grabbed onto the horse as if he were a teddy bear, and shut his eyes with a large, relieved smile. 

` Suddenly, a cold and vile voice was heard over the celebration. “How… sentimental.” Standing at the entrance was Caleb Covington, god of the underworld and Zeus’s brother. “You know I haven’t been this choked up since I got a hunk of moussaka caught in my throat.”

Hera frowned at his appearance, as did most of the other gods who were now staring at him. “Jeez, tough crowd.” Covington rolled his eyes and made his way through the gods who all avoided and glared at him as he walked by.

Zeus, however, brightened at the newcomer and reached out, pulling him into a tight, one-armed hug. “Caleb, you finally made it! Say brother, how are things in the underworld?”

Narrowing his eyes and removing Zeus’s arm from his shoulders, Covington shrugged half-heartedly. “Well, they’re just fine. You know, a little dark, a little gloomy. And, as always, hey, full of dead people. What are you gonna do? Ah, there’s the little sunspot!” He exclaimed, pushing Zeus out of the way to get to the crib that held baby Alexander. 

Alexander reached out and grabbed Covington’s finger, just as he did with his father, but instead of lifting him into the air, he just squeezed the finger with impossible strength and laughed as Covington hissed with pain and wrestled to get his hand free. He pulled back and shook his hand slightly to bring the blood flow back as he grumbled under his breath, “Hmm, powerful little tyke.”

Zeus reached out again to pull Covington back into a bone crushing hug. “Come on Caleb, don’t be such a stiff. Join the celebration!”

Covington broke loose of Zeus’s embrace before replying. “Hey, love to, babe, but unlike  _ you _ gods lounging about up here, I regrettably have a full-time gig that you, by the way, so charitably bestowed upon me,  _ Zeus.  _ So,  _ can’t. _ Love to, but  _ can’t. _ ” Covington turned to leave, eyes cold.

“You ought to slow down, you’ll work yourself to death!” There was a brief moment of silence as Zeus realized what he had just said, before he broke out into a fit of laughter. “Hah! Work yourself to death!” He continued to guffaw and the rest of the gods joined in as Covington rolled his eyes again and swiftly exited.

* * *

Covington returned to the underworld, land of the dead. He was not a kind god. He was mean and ruthless and most certainly not someone who’s bad side you wanted to be on. Unfortunately for Zeus, Caleb was currently in the middle of unhatching a grand scheme. One that would downturn and change the world forever. One that would not be in favor of Olympus and it’s gods. 

As he reached the other side of the river of death, Covington called out impatiently for his henchmen. “Dante! Fuego!” Right away, scurrying could be heard as two small, winged demons ran out onto the staircase that Caleb was standing at the bottom of. Dante, the taller and thinner one, ran as fast as he could, already blabbering out apologies to their master. Fuego, the shorter and plumper one, tripped over a few stairs, knocking into Dante and causing them both to tumble down the rest of the staircase. 

“Dante and Fuego, reporting for duty!” they called out simultaneously. 

“Ugh, menaces,” Covington sneered. “Just let me know the  _ instant _ the Fates arrive.”

“Oh! They’re here!” Dante cheerfully informed.

“WHAT?!” Covington burst into flames. “THE FATES ARE HERE AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME!!” 

Dante and Fuego fell to the ground, whimpering and groaning and crying out self-deprecating remarks. Closing his eyes and visibly restraining himself from snapping again, Covington muttered, “Memo to me, memo to me. Maim you after my meeting.”

He quickly left to meet with the Fates who were in the process of ending a mortal’s life, as that was their job. “Darling, hold that mortal’s thread of life, good and tight,” Atropos instructed, before she snapped the scissors shut and the thread cut. A scream could be heard throughout the room as the soul of the mortal who had just passed, entered and joined the rest of the souls on the river of death.

Covington entered as the Fates were still laughing over the newly dead mortal. “Ladies! I am so sorry that I’m-”

“-Late!” The Fates cut him off.

“We knew you would be,” Clotho piped in.

“We know everything.” Lachesis added.

The three sisters share a single eye, which they use to see the future. They fought over it, taking it from one another as they spoke, “Past. Present. And future.” Respectively. 

“Anyway, ladies, I was at this party and I lost track of-”

“-We know!” The Fates cut off again.

“Yeah  _ I know,  _ you know.” Covington said, slightly irritated now. “So, here’s the deal. Zeus, Mr. High and Mighty, now has-”

“-A bouncing baby brat. We know!”

“ _ I KNOW YOU KNOW! _ ” Covington shot out, losing his temper. “I know. I got it. I got the concept.” He said, gritting his teeth. “So, let me just ask. Is this kid gonna mess up my hostile takeover bid, or what? What do you think?”

Clotho held up a hand, silencing her sisters. “We’re not supposed to reveal the future. You know it’s forbidden.” 

There was a glint in Covington’s eye, but he managed to smile at the Fates. He was charming when he needed to be, and he ran a hand down Lachesis’s cheek. “My darlings…please. My fate is in your lovely hands, and I only need to know this one, little thing.”

Flattered, the sisters finally gave in. The eyeball began to float above them, starting to glow, revealing a vision of the future. Lachesis spoke with a gravelly voice, “In 18 years precisely, the planets will align ever so nicely.”

Clotho continued the monologue. “The time to act will be at hand. Unleash the Titans, your monstrous band.” 

Atropos finished the story off. “Then the once-proud Zeus will finally fall, and you, Caleb, will rule all!” 

Covington exploded into excitement. This was what he desired most: Olympus destroyed, Zeus- and every god who bowed down to him- dead, and Caleb on the throne. 

“A word of caution to this tale.” Atropos added, holding up a finger. Covington’s smile fell from his face as the shimmering eyeball sported a new vision. “Should Alexander fight, you  _ will  _ fail.” 

The Fates cackled as they quickly disappeared.

Covington exploded again, but this time in anger. Dante and Fuego shivered in fear behind him until he calmed down. “Okay, I’m fine. I’m  _ cool _ .”

“Dante, Fuego.” Covington beckoned to the demons as he approached a large cabinet in the corner of the room. “I’ve got a little riddle for you. How do you kill a god?”

“I do not know!” Fuego exclaimed, holding a finger up confidently.

“You can’t! They’re immortal!” Dante answered correctly.

“Bingo! They’re immortal! So, first,” Covington said, opening the cabinet doors and pulling out a small vial of purple liquid. “You have to turn the little sunspot mortal,” He finished in a malicious voice.

* * *

It was late at night when the tragedy struck on Olympus. Zeus and Hera were asleep peacefully in their bed when they were awoken by a strained cry and the sound of glass breaking. The sounds had come from the nursery, causing them to panic and jump out of bed in a hurry. But by the time they reached the baby’s room, it was too late.

The crib was broken and Reggie was tied up in a corner, trying desperately to fly free, but baby Alexander was nowhere to be found. Hera fell to her knees next to the empty crib, sobbing. 

“NO!” Zeus cried out in agony, fists clenching, the skies lighting up with lightning, and booming thunder making the clouds and all of Olympus shake.

Dante and Fuego were flying away from Olympus, desperately flapping as they held baby Alexander by the arms. “Oh gods, now we’ve done it. Zeus is gonna use us for target practice.” Dante panicked.

“Just hang on to the kid, we’re almost there!” Fuego exclaimed

.

The demon brothers landed clumsily onto the dirt, letting go of the baby as he cried from being dropped to the ground. 

“Hurry up! Let’s just kill the kid and get it over with!” Dante whispered, waiting anxiously as Fuego pulled out the bottle that Caleb had given them that would turn Alexander mortal.

“Here you go kid, a little Grecian formula,” Fuego stuck a baby bottle top onto the glass vile and pushed it into the baby’s mouth.

The demons watched in amazement as the golden aura surrounding Alexander began to dim and he started changing from baby god to baby mortal. 

“It’s working, he’s changing!” Dante whispered, excitedly. “Can we do it now?”

“No, he has to drink the whole potion.  _ Every _ last drop!”

However, the baby’s crying and the demon's chatter, caught the attention of two passerbyers. “Hello? Who’s there?” A voice called out. 

Dante and Fuego hurried to hide behind a nearby rock, leaving baby Alexander to lay in the middle of the dirt, in plain sight. A mortal couple came around the corner and into view, a young woman who was very clearly pregnant and a young man holding a lantern to light the way. They stopped in shock at seeing the baby all alone.

“Oh you poor dear! Don’t cry darling.” The young woman quickly ushered over to the small child, bending down and gently picking him up. The bottle that Alexander was holding, fell to the ground and broke open. Unseen by anyone else, the last drop of the potion fell to the ground and vanished. 

Behind the rocks, Dante and Fuego came to the silent agreement that now was the perfect opportunity to attack the child. They slowly slipped out of their hiding spot, silently shape shifting into snakes, slithering quickly towards the couple.

“He must have been abandoned, Rose,” the man said, looking at his wife who was holding the baby’s head ever so carefully.

The young woman turned to her husband. “Ray, I know that Julie is coming soon and it might be hard, caring for two infants at the same time, but we can’t just leave him here.”

Ray couldn’t help but smile at his wife who had been overcome with her motherly instincts and he gently stroked her hair. He looked down at the baby in her arms, yawning and cooing contently. He was very adorable. A medallion rested on the chest of the child that Ray grabbed and looked over. On one side was the sign of the gods, and on the other was simply the name, Alexander. “Of course we’re not going to leave the poor child, we’ll take him back home with us. Baby… Alexander.”

Suddenly, the two giant snakes were about to attack, hissing menacingly at the mortals. Rose screamed in fear and Ray was ready to fight back but before they could do anything, Alexander reached out with a giggle and easily gripped both snakes. He smacked them around on the ground before tangling them together and hurling them far off, out of sight. 

Rose and Ray watched all of this go down with their jaws dropped and eyes wide. This baby was certainly something they had never seen before. 

Atop of the mountain that Dante and Fuego had been thrown to, they untangled themselves and shifted back to their natural forms. 

“Oh no, Caleb is gonna kill us when he finds out what happened,” Dante frantically ran around.

Fuego paused for a second, thinking this over. “You mean,  _ if _ , he finds out,” he chuckled quietly. Dante saw the evil gleam in Fuego’s eyes and instantly caught on. “Oh,  _ if _ . If is good.” From then on, the two silently vowed to never mention this again.

* * *

Atop Mount Olympus, there was nothing but chaos and tragedy. Zeus led all the gods on a frantic search. But by the time they found the baby, it was too late. Alexander was mortal now and only gods could live on Mount Olympus. Everything except for his godly strength had been drained by Caleb’s potion. So Zeus and Hera had no other option but to watch above as their son was raised on Earth with no memory of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!! :)


	2. Chapter 2

It was a peaceful sunny day with nothing but silence on an empty country road, until a cart stacked high with hay came barreling down the road unnaturally fast. 

Ray and an old mule sat on the driver’s bench, while Alexander- who more often went by Alex- pulled it. 

The cart sped towards the marketplace, hay spewing out of the sides as Alex raced down the path. The boy was a bit taller than average height but very thin, weighing less than 140 pounds, and looked like he couldn’t lift one bundle of hay, let alone pull a whole cart full of them. The strength of the gods certainly hadn’t abandoned him, but he looked like any other normal boy his age.

“Alex! Slow down!” Ray shouted, gripping onto the seat for dear life. Alex merely grinned, excited by the challenge of hauling the loaded cart. The men reached the marketplace in no time, Alex swerving to nearly avoid hitting several people before skidding to a messy stop.

Shakily hopping off the cart, Ray took a deep breath. “Thanks, son. When old Penelope hurt her leg back there I thought we were done for.” 

Alex shrugged, going to pick up the large haystack. “Hey, no problem, Dad.” He lifted the large pile of hay which was at least 400 pounds up off the back of the cart with no struggle.

“No, don’t unload just yet, I need to go talk to Phineas,”Ray said, nodding his head over to a man who sat at one of the many stands around the market. Alex shrugged, placing the hay back onto the cart. Turning to him, Ray started gently, “Now, Alex, you know I love you and all, but  _ please _ just-”

“I know, I know, stay by the cart,” Alex sighed. He never  _ meant  _ to cause trouble, but it just seemed to follow him around. It wasn’t his fault that his strength was often underestimated, or that people were rude to him because of it. Ray rubbed Alex’s shoulder gently before strolling off.

Now alone, Alex sighed again and kicked at the grass, hoping that his father wouldn’t take too long. It was a beautiful day outside, and he wanted to get home in time to hang out with his younger siblings, Julie and Carlos. And maybe even continue working on that drum solo that he wanted to perfect. 

After a few minutes of pacing around and staring at the clouds, Alex could hear the loud laughter from several people nearing closer. 

It was a few boys he had seen around town playing a game of frisbee. Alex watched as the frisbee flew through the air and landed right near his feet. He picked it up gently and watched as the boy’s faces transformed from a look of excitement, to a look of horror.

“Hey, do you need an extra guy?” Alex asked.

Two of the brunette boys in the back pushed the blonde one up to the front to make up an excuse. 

“Uh sorry Alex. We’ve already got, uh, five! And we wanna keep it an even number.”

Alex just sighed, giving it back to them and pretending that he didn’t notice that there were only 3 boys playing and that 5 wasn’t an even number anyway.

He waited by the cart, lost in thought for a few moments until he saw the same frisbee fly over his head. 

“I’ve got it!” Alex yelled

He ran as fast as he could after the frisbee, grabbing it right before it hit a pillar... but ended up hitting the pillar himself. 

"Oh no...." Alex muttered, realizing he had hit the pillar too hard and hearing the base of it cracking. 

He ran to try and push it back into place but got there a second too late. The pillars started coming down one by one. God, his dad was going to kill him. 

Realizing there was nothing he could do to stop the falling pillars, Alex watched helplessly as all of them came crashing down. The last one toppled over with a loud thud and there was now a large crowd staring in horror. Luckily no one was hurt. 

Alex could hear the people yelling and knew they were all glaring at him. He couldn’t dare to look back at them. All he wanted was for a hole to appear out of nowhere and swallow him into the center of the earth.

Suddenly his Dad was there, one hand resting on Alex’s shoulder.

“This is _the _ _last_ straw Ray!” An angry man shouted. “That boy is a menace! He’s too dangerous to be around normal people!”

“You know he didn’t mean any harm. He’s just a kid. He just can’t control his strength.” Ray said, trying to calm everyone down. 

“I’m warning you. You keep that- that-  _ freak  _ away from here!”

With that, Ray had heard enough. He wrapped his arm around Alex’s shoulder and led him away from the furious people who were still shouting.

* * *

The sun was setting when Alex’s younger sister, Julie, found him sitting alone on a hill under a tree, looking off into the distance. He didn’t even notice her until she sat down. 

“Dad told us what happened. You shouldn’t let those things they said back there get to you.” She said softly.

Alex turned his head to look at his sister. Julie had her long curly locks braided over her shoulder with colorful flowers woven into them for decoration. Her eyes sparkled like always and she held sympathy in the curves of her smile. Her gorgeous brown skin seemed to glow in the setting sun. She was a spitting image of their mother.

“They had no right to say any of that to you. But, you know it’s not true, right?” Julie continued.

“No, Jules. They’re right! I try to fit in. I really do! I just... can’t. I destroy everything in my path. I mean hell, mom and dad bought me that one drum set for my birthday when we were like 8, as an outlet for my emotions, and how many have I broken since then? I can’t even count. Sometimes I feel like... like I just don’t belong here.” Alex argued.

“Alex-“

“I know it doesn’t make any sense..” He cut Julie off.

Knowing she wasn’t going to get anywhere at this moment, Julie settled for saying, “Mom wanted me to let you know that dinner’s almost done. Come whenever you’re ready. Just, at least be back home by 9:00.” And with that, she gave him a hug, and headed off back home.

* * *

When Alex finally arrived home about an hour later, Rose immediately came forward to wrap Alex in a hug. He hugged her back tightly, wishing that he could always feel as secure as he did in his mother's arms. "I'm sorry," he whispered, feeling like all he could do was apologize but wishing he could do more to make up for what happened. 

He took a shuddering breath, tears starting to fall. Rose pulled back quickly to wipe his tears away. 

“Oh darling, don’t cry. This isn’t your fault, they had no right to say those things to you.” Rose said, mimicking what Julie had told him earlier. 

_ Like he said, spitting image.  _

"I just... I'm not normal. I'll never be. I don't fit in anywhere."

"You’re perfect just the way you are mijo.It'll all be okay," she murmured, letting Alex lean into her touch. 

Alex managed a slight smile, and turned to smile at his father too when Ray set a gentle hand on his shoulder. But Alex’s smile faded as he saw the melancholy look on his Dad’s face and watched him and his Mom exchange a silent conversation.

Frowning, he glanced between the two. "What? What’s wrong?” Alex asked, slightly nervous.

His parents looked at each other for a moment, before Ray heavily sighed. 

"Alex... if today is any sign, you're only getting stronger as you get older. And we thought we could keep it under control. But, I don't think we can anymore."

Alex could feel his heart practically beating out of his chest. What was going on? Were his parents disowning him? We’re they going to throw him out? Had he finally became too much of a hassle for them? Was he too much of a danger to be around Julie and Carlos anymore?

Rose noticed the panicked expression on Alex’s face and began to explain. "Don’t worry dear, there's nothing to be worried about.” She knew Alex all too well. "It’s just time for you to finally know the truth.”

"I- I don't understand," Alex stuttered, not having any clue on what was going on. Ray quickly disappeared to a separate room while Rose continued to soothe Alex’s nerves. 

After a moment he returned, clutching a golden medallion. Ray handed it to Alex, and he examined it with careful delicacy. Alex was shocked to see his name engraved on one side. 

"What is this?" he asked, finger stroking over the engravings.

Rose sucked in a breath before explaining. "Alex, love... you're not biologically ours. We found you one night hidden behind the mountains.” 

Alex gaped in shock, barely able to comprehend what his mother was saying.

“You were just lying there all alone in the dirt. You were crying and cold and I knew we couldn’t just leave you there. This medallion was around your neck." Rose turned the medallion over in Alex’s hand, revealing the symbol of the gods. 

The room was silent but that silence was screaming inside of Alex’s head. He had a million questions but couldn’t seem to voice a single one. His parents weren't his real parents? They raised him, but had no real relation to him? That meant Julie and Carlos weren’t his real siblings either? His biological parents... abandoned him in the dirt like nothing? 

His whole life practically flashed before his eyes. Years and years of memories. Thousands of family meals, family trips, birthdays, holidays. Waking up early to help around the house and then staying out late running around town, having fun with his siblings. Performing ‘concerts’ in front of Ray and Rose that consisted of a young Alex banging it out on the drums while Julie sang angelically and an even younger Carlos twirled around in circles getting dizzy because that’s what he thought dancing was. None of it was... real?

Alex’s brain was spinning and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He felt like he was going to be sick. After what felt like an hour but could have been just merely a few minutes, Alex managed to squeak out a small, "You’re... you're not my real family?" 

“Family isn’t just based on blood.” Rose explained. “You’re family is the one that loves you unconditionally no matter your faults. Mijo, we raised you and loved you with all of our hearts. Don’t you ever think otherwise.” She turned Alex’s head with a gentle hand on his cheek until their eyes met. “You understand that don’t you? It doesn’t matter if you’re not our biological son, we never loved you any less because of it. You were a gift to us hon.” Rose’s voice was warm with a hint of steel, as if daring anyone to question the love she had for Alex.

Alex nodded his head but then shook it again. "I- I understand that. But where are my biological parents then? Do you know who they are? Why did they just leave me?"

Ray shrugged. "We don't know, we never heard a thing from anyone. But this,” He pointed to the symbol of the gods on the medallion, “Is the symbol of the gods.”

Alex was silent as his brain absorbed all of this new information. As much as the truth stung, as much as the hurt clawed at his heart like an angry pack of wolves, he believed his parents. He had lead a wonderful life, and his parents had never been anything but loving and supportive. 

But he had to know...

“Do you think...” Alex pointed at the symbol on the medallion too. “Do you think they might have the answers?”

“I don’t know dear,” Rose answered.

He looked up, and gave them a watery smile. “Well, I guess there’s really only one way to find out.” Alex stood up shakily and pulled Rose and Ray into a tight group hug, all three of them clinging onto each other like life lines. They suddenly felt two extra pairs of arms wrap themselves into the group hug as well.

Julie and Carlos had been eavesdropping from the room over and took the opportunity to join in on the hug when they had the chance.

Alex let himself revel in this feeling, squeezing his family as tight as he dared. As much as he loved them, and as glad as he was that they had finally told him the truth, he knew he needed answers. 

"You’re the greatest family anyone could ever have," Alex blurted out, as he unwrapped himself from the embrace. "I love you, and I always will. But... I need to find my biological parents. I need to know who they are, and why I'm like this. I need to know why they left...." 

Heaving out a shaky breath, Alex composed himself, forcing himself to be steady.

This was one of the hardest choices he’s ever had to make. He doesn’t want to leave his entire life behind. He doesn’t want to abandon his parents and siblings just as his biological parents had done to him, but he needed answers.

After a moment, Ray and Rose slowly nodded, though tears were already slipping down Rose and Julie’s cheeks. 

Alex slowly retreated to his room to pack. He pondered hard, trying to decide if this was really what he wanted when he heard a soft knock on his door. 

As Alex opened the door, he looked down to see a mess of curls and large doe eyes. Carlos.

“Where are you gonna go?” Carlos asked fearfully.

Alex bent down to rest a hand on Carlos’ shoulder and showed him the medallion. “This is the symbol of the gods. I’m going to visit the temple of Zeus to see if I can get answers.”

Carlos nodded slowly then gently said, “Please don’t forget us.”

Alex’s eyes welled before pulling his little brother into a tight hug. “Never. You’ve been nothing but good to me. I could never forget you.”

* * *

Alex packed lightly, unsure of where his final destination would be, and said his bittersweet goodbyes. Before he could leave, Rose grabbed his arm lightly. 

“Don’t you ever forget that we love you. If anything happens and you need to come home, you come right home. Just because you’re going off on your own adventures now doesn’t mean that you’re not part of this family anymore. You’re always going to be welcome here. I love you with all of my heart mijo.” Alex gave his mother one last hug, savoring her gentle touch. “I love you too Mom, more than anything.”

And with that Alex waved as he walked off down the road, heading to Zeus's temple.

It was pitch black by the time Alex arrived, and he set his bags down by the entrance. Walking in, he knelt before the statue, unsure of what to say. He had never come to a temple like this to pray before.

“Oh mighty Zeus, please, hear me and answer my prayer. I need to know. Who am I? Wh-where do I belong?” Alex prayed quietly.

The wind picked up and thunder crashed overhead. Suddenly, lighting struck the statue of Zeus, causing the braziers to light. 

Standing up nervously, Alex looked around in uneasy confusion. Something was happening, he just couldn’t tell what. 

A creaking and groaning noise could be heard. Alex looked up at the large stone statue of Zeus that seemed to be... _ moving _ ? It then  _ blinked  _ and  _smiled_ at  Alex .

“My boy. My little Alexander,” the statue boomed.

Alex couldn’t help but scream at the enormous,  _alive_ statue, and attempted to make a run for it.

“Hey, hold on kiddo!” The statue reached out and picked Alex up with ease, and Alex felt his anxiety rise as his feet left the ground. “After all these years, this is the kind of hello you give your father?” the statue continued.

Alex stopped struggling to simply gape at the statue. “F-father?” he asked. 

“Didn’t know you had a famous father did ya? Surprise!” The statue of Zeus boomed. “Look at how you’ve grown!” 

Alex was still skeptical. “I don’t understand. If you’re my father, that would make me-“

“A god!” Zeus finished.

_A god? Was this all for real?_

Now that he knew he wasn’t truly Ray and Rose’s son, it was true that he didn’t know who his biological parents were, but… gods?

Still in shock and barely being able to process any of this, Alex blinked dizzily up at the enormous stone face before him. This was certainly a day of surprises.

Breathing heavily, Alex repeated, “A god…” It didn’t seem real, and he sat down on Zeus’s head, feeling his whole world spin. Sure, he had always been different , and there really was no other way to explain his insane strength, but… the idea of Alex being a god was overwhelming, to say the least.

“Hey, you wanted answers, and by thunder you’re old enough now to know the truth!” Zeus’s voice continued to echo through the temple. 

But the question that Alex still didn’t have an answer to was eating at the back of his mind. “But why did you leave me on earth? Didn’t you want me?” He asked solemnly. The thought of being abandoned by them hurt, worse than it did earlier.

Zeus frowned, sadness weighing down his features. “Of course we did. Your mother and I loved you with all of our hearts. But someone stole you from us and turned you mortal. And only gods can live on Mount Olympus.”

“Oh,” Alex said, stunned, not expecting that answer. He was silent as he comprehended all of this. After a moment, he asked quietly, “And there’s not a thing you can do?”

“ _ I _ can’t, Alexander”, Zeus answered, softly poking Alex in the chest, “but  _ you  _ can.”

Alex’s head shot up, eyes wide. “R-really? What? I’ll do anything!” 

Though he loved Rose and Ray with all his heart, along with Julie and Carlos, the chance to see Mount Olympus, to meet the rest of his family, the rest of the  _ gods _ , it was too amazing of an opportunity to pass up.

“Alexander-,” Zeus started.

“-It’s actually Alex, sir.” Alex cut off sheepishly.

Zeus simply smiled. “Alex, if you can prove yourself a true hero on Earth, your godhood will be restored!” 

“A true hero. Great! Uh, how exactly do I do that?”

Zeus settled back into his great stone throne. “To begin, you must seek out Lukas Patterson, the trainer of heroes.”

Alex nodded quickly, the excitement finally catching up to him. “Got it!” He said, giving an enthusiastic thumbs up before stepping off of Zeus’s palm and starting to free fall in the air.

Zeus chuckled, catching Alex mid-air and safely setting him on the ground. “Whoa, hold your horses! ...Which reminds me.”

Zeus put his stone fingers in his mouth and blew out a piercing whistle. Alex could see a large, gleaming white horse with enormous feathery wings, fly through the night and into the temple. 

“You probably don’t remember Reggie, but you two go way back son!” Zeus laughed lightly as the Pegasus, Reggie, head butted Alex to re-jog his memory.

“Oh wow,” Alex breathed out, “Reggie! I do remember you!” 

The memories were faint and blurry, but the feeling of the soft horse feathers, the affectionate head butts Reggie gave him- they had a hint of familarity.

“He’s a magnificent horse, with the brain of a bird!” Zeus explained. 

Alex mounted Reggie carefully before bidding goodbye to Zeus.

“I’ll find Lukas and become a true hero!” Alex exclaimed, more confidently than he had ever been in the past seventeen years of his life.

“That’s the spirit, off you go, son!,” Zeus cried out.

With that, Alex and Reggie took off into the night with only the glimmer from the stars and the moon as their guide but still full of excitement and hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I cry a little bit while writing this chapter because I wish my parents were as loving as Rose and Ray? Maybe a little🥲 
> 
> Talk to me on tumblr :) @violethoneyb


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